Salehi made the remarks in an interview with IRNA in Moscow on Monday, shortly after he arrived at Vnukovo International Airport.
“The political determination of the officials of Iran and Russia is based on the expansion of ties between the two countries, and [this] can be a good incentive for increasing bilateral cooperation,” the Iranian foreign minister stated.
“It goes without saying that the Russian Federation is one of the most important neighbors of Iran,” he said, adding, “Russia is an influential country in the international arena” and also has great influence in the Caucasus region.
“Tehran and Moscow can cooperate on many issues, and, for instance, the two countries’ interactions on Syria are going well.”
He went on to say that trade between the two countries should be boosted, since it is currently below the potential.
Salehi is in Moscow to attend the 10th annual meeting of the Russian-Iranian Business Council (RIBC), which will be held in the Russian capital from February 11 to 12.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak will represent Moscow at the meeting.
On January 14, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Reza Sajjadi said that the expansion of trade and industrial, transportation, energy, and consular cooperation between the two countries would be the main topics of discussion at the RIBC meeting.
The RIBC was established in 2006, and since then, the two countries have signed agreements calling for the expansion of bilateral economic cooperation in various spheres, such as nuclear energy and the oil, gas, industrial, and tourism sectors.
Iran and Russia are closely cooperating in a number of other areas such as security, transportation, and the campaign against drug trafficking.
On January 22, Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Alexandrovich Kolokoltsev signed a memorandum of understanding to increase security cooperation.
On January 10, the director of the Foreign Relations Department of the Russian Chamber of Commerce, Vladimir Padalko, said, “Moscow will continue its trade cooperation with Iran, and no problem can prevent the enhancement of trade relations between the two countries.”
